Brands and businesses that are invisible on social media will miss a chance at engagement that their competitors might seize. More importantly, there are already well-known cases of brands that successfully revitalized their images or launched themselves thanks to social media wins. The benefits to a successful social media brand presence are significant, even if the route to get there isn't clear-cut.

The first step is choosing the right platforms to invest time and resources in. Which platforms to be on is a crucial question, even for the most deep-pocketed brands.

In a new report from BI Intelligence, we review each of the top social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram), analyze the considerations and potential benefits for brands working on each platform, and explore what brands and companies would benefit most from focusing their efforts on certain channels.